Survive The Night: The First Quarter Quell
by write04ever
Summary: Meet each of the tributes as they deal with being chosen to participate. Then follow Harding, Naida, Terra, and Unity in the arena as they struggle to survive the Hunger Games. And no Games goes without controversy. What will it be this year? And what will the gamemakers through at the tributes this year? (Rated T because it's the Hunger Games)
1. District 1

_Moiré_

"Hello, Moiré."

I'd know that voice anywhere. It belongs to my sister Mauvre. I snap my head up to see her standing just inside of the door. There's a look of pity on her face and it annoys me.

"Why are you the only one not happy about this?" I ask. She gives me a surprised look.

"Do you hear yourself?" she asks. "You're about to go into an arena and fight to death with twenty-three other kids and you're excited about it?"

"Of course. I've been training for this my whole life."

"Which I disagree about, but that was Dad's decision, not mine."

"Why are you so bitter?" I ask. Mauvre opens her mouth to retort, but thinks better of it. Her face softens and she walks to the window. She doesn't look at me when she talks next.

"I don't want you to die. It doesn't matter how many years of training you've had, something could still go wrong. Hell, the gamemakers could kill you if they're feeling that there's no action. You know? Brian couldn't possibly teach you how to survive unforeseen attacks like that."

"No, but he taught me how to fight," I respond. "The Academy is top notch, Mauvre. You wouldn't know seeing as you refused training."

"Because I don't want to die before I turn eighteen!"

Her sudden outburst shocks me. She hadn't raised her voice since the moment she stepped in here. But now she's mad at me. Why? Because I agreed to be part of the Hunger Games. And she thinks I'm going to die. The whole idea becomes ludicrous at once. Not my participation in the Games of course, but the thought of me dying in the arena. It's not going to happen.

I get up from the chair and walk over to my sister. I take her hands in mine and look her in the eye. "Mauvre, you worry too much. My training has made me a strong contender. I know I can beat out everyone else. You'll see me again in a few weeks time." She has tears in her eyes now.

"I believe in you sister," she says, reaching out one of her hands to stroke my cheek. "But I can't help worrying about you. Promise me that you'll win."

"Promise." We both grin simultaneously, setting us into a fit of giggles.

"Times up." The peacekeeper is back, standing in the doorway. I hug Mauvre tightly before she leaves. I promise her that I'll come home alive. She kisses me on the cheek before turning to walk out of the room.

Now there is no one else to come see me. I said goodbye to my friends yesterday so they didn't have to come here to the Justice Building to do it. I wished the kids at the Academy good luck with their training so I don't have to see them and my parents came in earlier.

I'm alone now, waiting for Leila to come collect me. She's our escort and will be traveling with us to the Capitol. I want to get going already. All of this waiting is driving me crazy.

I can't wait to come out of that arena as victor.

_Blaze_

"Don't touch me." I say, shoving away the peacekeeper's hand. He's trying to lead me down the hall to my room in the Justice Building, but I know where I'm going. I don't need someone to physically take me there.

As I turn the corner, I catch a glimpse of Moiré entering the room at the end of the hall. I smile to myself. She's tough competition. I've trained with her for ten years at the Academy here in District 1. The Hunger Games is what we live for and it's finally here.

The room I'm forced into is the first one in the hallway. It's strange how I'm at the start of the hallway and Moiré is at the end. It's as if they're trying to keep us apart, but they still want us to know each other is close by.

Strange.

The door opens almost the instant it shuts. I'm not surprised to see my two friends Leonis and Grandis bound into the room. I get up from my chair laughing and embrace them both.

"I'm so jealous of you," Leonis says. "I wish I could go into the arena this year."

"You should've beaten me out in the competition." I joke. This year, the Careers at the Academy had a competition to showcase the skills we had learned for the Games. There were two winners, one from the boys and one for the girls. The district was told to vote for the winners of this competition, me and Moiré.

"You know we had no chance." Leonis responds. I laugh. It's true. I was an animal out there. No one was going to stand in the way of me participating this year. It's the Quarter Quell. The victor of these specific Games will be held in high esteem for years and years to come. Who could resist?

"Listen, you've gotta go in there and attack right off the bat," Grandis says. "You need to intimidate the other tributes."

"Don't show your weak side." Leonis adds.

"And be careful. You never know what the gamemakers might throw at you."

"Learn how to make a fire in training."

"And how to find edible plants."

"Knowing where water is couldn't hurt either."

"But definitely get your hands on an axe or two."

"Yes. You're the best with those weapons."

"Guys, enough," I say, laughing. "Are you practicing to be mentors or what?" Leonis shakes his head vigorously, setting us off. I'm laughing so hard that my stomach hurts. Finally I pull myself together and get serious.

"You two better train hard while I'm gone, okay? Leonis, you're gonna have to find a new partner, 'cause obviously I won't be there anymore. Once I'm victor I won't need to be at the Academy. Who knows, maybe I'll come visit sometimes."

"Time's up."

I look past my friends to see a peacekeeper standing in the doorway. I nod at him and give my friends a hug. "I'll miss you guys. Take care." They let the peacekeeper drag them out and the door shuts.


	2. District 2

_Ebba_

"Ebba Knox."

A smile creeps across my lips. It's a confident smile. One that lets everyone know that I am prepared and ready to win. There is nothing and no one standing in my way.

The path to the stage is clear and marked out. I notice the small red dots lining the way. It makes me laugh. The Capitol goes to so much trouble to make sure everything is perfect.

I don't make eye contact with anyone as I make my way up to the stage. I do shoot a few glances at the cameras however. The audience needs a show, right? I should let them see a little of the girl they're going to be rooting for.

"Welcome dear!" Avril says when I reach the stage. She's our escort.

"Thank you," I say. "It feels great to be standing here on the stage. And I have to say that even if I wasn't voted in, I would've volunteered."

Avril laughs. "So we still would've had you representing us?"

"Of course." I smile again. This time I make sure to flash it towards the cameras. I want everyone in the Capitol to know that I can do this, that I will be their winner.

I can see it now, being crowned victor. The hovercraft will pick me up and transport me back to the Capitol. The recap of the Games during my final interview will remind everyone how strong I am. They'll have to focus on the tributes I killed and how I did it. Hopefully it'll be violent and entertaining for the audience. No, not hopefully. It will be. I guarantee it.

"Now for the boys," Avril announces suddenly. She reaches into the bowl to my left and pulls out the single strip of white paper. I know the name written on it. Everyone does, but the Capitol wants us to pretend that we don't.

I find his face in the crowd. It's not hard to find him. His blonde hair sticks out like a sore thumb. He might have the only blonde hair in the entire district. And his eyes are so blue that I'm not sure if that's even his real eye color. No one can have that perfect eye color. It's impossible.

Avril walks back to the microphone and clears her throat before announcing my district partner for these Games.

"Harding Eevers."

_Harding_

I'm not surprised when my name is called out. I knew that I was going into the arena anyway because I won the competition. I was ruthless, chopping up every dummy in sight, jumping over every obstacle. It was beyond easy and I was feeling great about my chances in the Games.

At that point I wanted all of this; the fame, the glory, the winnings. Now I'm not so sure. Everything is beginning to sink in and I'm slowly realizing what exactly I have signed up for. I've had time to think about it over the past few nights. I haven't slept much, anticipating what it's going to be like in the arena.

Will I be able to kill when the time comes? Am I really willing to play the Capitol's sick game? I've also been thinking about what the arena is going to be like this year. Since it's the Quarter Quell I'm sure it'll have some horrible aspect to it. These Games are supposed to be something special so of course it's going to be different than the normal Games.

Last year the arena was a frozen wasteland. All of the lakes were frozen, making it nearly impossible to fish or get water. The tributes had to eat snow in order to stay hydrated, but that didn't do much good. Snow can only keep someone going for so long. Those tributes that didn't have enough sponsors to send them water died from dehydration in the first week. The top four were all Careers. Nobody was surprised. The guy from District 1 was named victor. I forget his name though.

I'm hoping this year it is something bearable. I would hate to rise up into the arena and come face to face with something I'm not ready to deal with. That's the ultimate feeling of disappointment because there is nothing you can do about it. You're stuck in that arena for the next two weeks or so.

I have no way of getting out of this now unless someone volunteers. As I walk up to the stage I am praying that someone will volunteer for me. I know it's not going to happen though. I was already named the strongest Career. Everyone will be expecting me to win. Who's going to want to get in the way?

I search the crowd for Elsce. Everyone thinks she's my girlfriend, but she's not. We just enjoy each other's company. We're friends and that's all. At least I think that's all. Anyway, I finally find her and give her a sad smile. Her face is pale and her expression is begging me to reconsider going through with this.

"I'm so sorry," I mouth at her. I wonder if the cameras picked that up. Will that be shown in the recap of the reapings later on tonight?

I finally reach the stage and see Ebba sneering at me. I fight the urge to punch her in the face. I never liked her. She has nothing to be cocky about. The only reason she won the competition was because Fluver passed out. If she had stayed conscious, Ebba would have lost.

I simply stare back at her, wondering if she truly understands what she's getting into. Probably not. The Academy brainwashed her just like it does everyone else. But not me. I refused to buy into whatever Victor told us all. I made sure that I learned something about fighting, but I didn't adopt his reasoning for liking the Capitol. Don't get me wrong, I like the Capitol. But when it comes to the Hunger Games, I hate them.

Our escort (if I cared more I would remember her name) asks if there is anything else we want to say before we are ushered into the Justice Building. Both Ebba and I are silent. I have nothing to say and my district partner has already spoken her mind.

"District 2, I give you your tributes for this year, the 25th annual Hunger Games, Ebba and Harding!"

I hear the roar of the crowd as I'm ushered into the Justice Building. Now I'll get to wait and see who will come to say goodbye to me. Each tribute gets an hour to have visitors. I'm sure my parents will be here to see me, but what about Elsce? Will she come or is she still mad at me?

The room I'm forced into is boring. The walls are painted a soft green color and the floors are made out of wood. It gives me the impression that I'm in the woods. There is only one chair and it's all the way on the far side of the room underneath the only window, back against the wall.

I sit in it, head between my hands. What have I gotten myself into? If I remember right, there will be a day long trip to the Capitol, then the tribute parade the next day, followed by three days of training, one day for training alone, another day for preparing for the Games and then the interview. That's eight days before the Games start, just over a week. I have a week to become the ruthless killer I'm expected to be.

My parents are the first visitors. They tell me how proud they are and how they expect me back when all of this is over. I tell them not to worry, that I will try my hardest to win. I am careful not to promise anything because I'm not sure what kind of person I will end up being in the arena. I may be one of those people who just run into the middle of the bloodbath to put themselves in harms way. I won't know until I get there.

Elsce comes by with only a few minutes left if I guess right. There's no clock in here so I can't tell for sure, but a lot of time has gone by since my parents were in here.

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this," she says. "I though you were better than this."

"Better than what?" I ask.

"Playing into the Capitol's game."

"What was I supposed to do? Refuse to go on stage? I was voted in by the district. And no one wanted to volunteer for me."

"That's not the point," Elsce shrieks. "You became a Career in the first place. You obviously think the Games are worth participating in."

"That was my parents' decision," I explain. "Not mine." Elsce stares at me for a while before turning on her heel and leaving the room. I sink back into the chair and think about what position I'm in now. My best friend has walked out on me, leaving me for dead. And my own parents didn't even tell me they loved me. All they said was how proud they were of me. Being proud and being loving are two completely different things.

A peacekeeper opens the door and ushers me out into the hallway. My time is up. I have to get on the train that will take me to the Capitol. I have to make a decision right now. Am I going to feel sorry for myself or am I going to man up and take on the challenge?

Remembering the confident look on Ebba's face, I know that I have to take on the challenge. If anyone is going to be the one to come home and bring District 2 glory, it's going to be me.


	3. District 3

_Merope_

My name was just called out. I can't believe it. Why was I voted in? There are plenty of other worthy candidates out there who have a greater chance of coming home alive.

But it doesn't matter right now because I'm the one they chose. I'm the one they're putting their trust in, the one they believe can win for them. So I must do for them what they want me to.

I detach myself from the crowd and head up to the stage. I get pitiful looks and sad smiles as I move forward. Most tributes in this situation would break down and cry, but I refuse to do that. There is no reason for tears. What's done is done.

I finally reach the stage and search the crowd for my parents. They're standing near the back of the section behind the kids. I can see my mother shaking slightly, my father's arm wrapped tight around her shoulders. They're both crying.

It makes me furious. Why are they crying? I don't want them to. I'll have to tell them when they come visit me in the Justice Building. I'll tell them not to worry, that I've come to terms with my death. I'll tell them to be proud of me because I have saved the life of another girl here in District 3.

Better me than someone else, right?

_Alec_

"Alec, she called out your name. Go on stage!"

I don't know the person who just told me this, but I allow them to push me forward. The shock has overwhelmed me. I can barely breathe. It feels like there is a heavy weight sitting on my chest, slowly crushing my diaphragm.

I'm more surprised that I was right than anything. Out of all of the guys, I'm the strongest and most courageous. I told myself it was possible that my name would be on that single slip of paper. But deep down, I was hoping I was wrong.

Things like this shouldn't happen to me. I'm a good person. I am nice to everyone and I never do anything wrong. Why would my district vote me into the Games?

I finally reach the stage and I stand next to my district partner, Merope. The one thing that I can't help running through my mind is that I will have to kill her if I want to come home alive.

This is the way the Games work. It's either kill or be killed. Tributes are turned against their friends inside that arena. It's a sick game that the Capitol insists on playing. And I don't want to participate. But I have to. Refusal to enter the arena is not acceptable. The peacekeepers will personally transport you to the arena if you refuse. Not to mention the escorts keep a good eye on us while we're traveling through the Capitol. There's no way to escape.

I know all of this because the victor a few years ago was my friend Vito. He was seventeen when he won. Now he's twenty and lives in the Victor's Village. It's an area of the district with about a dozen mansions reserved for the victors of the Hunger Games. Half of those houses are actually occupied. Over the years we have only had seven victors. One of them died a while ago from a horrible fever. But the rest are still alive and well.

I wish I had visited them before the reaping. Maybe they could've given me some advice about how to act during the Games. Now I have no help. None except for my mentor, but he's no help. I don't even remember his name. He won his Games by hiding out in a cave and waiting until the other tributes killed each other off. Not very brave if you ask me.

But he's the only help I've got so I guess I have to listen to him. I just wish he'd stop shooting himself with morphing.


	4. District 4

_Naida_

I slash the sword through the air so fast that I barely see where it's going. But I know exactly where it's going to land. When I step back from my work, I smile. The dummy in front of me is lying in pieces on the grass.

"Naida, time to head out!" My sister call from the Academy window. I sigh and drop my weapon before racing back inside the building where I've been training and living for the past eleven years. I didn't enjoy it at first, but the place started to grow on me and now I love it here. I can't believe that I have to leave.

But it's alright because I'm going to be heading into the arena to participate in the Hunger Games. It's what I've been preparing for my whole life. And I know it'll only be a short time before I'm back here with a new title: victor.

Silver is sitting at the long table that we eat at for every meal. The rest of the Careers are already down at the reaping. They went down early.

"Good morning." I say cheerfully.

"Naida, I'm scared for you." Silver says into her waffles. I shoot her a look before grabbing some breakfast myself.

"Why? I have these Games in the bag."

Silver shakes her head. "That's why I'm scared. You're too cocky, too confident. Look, I know that you're the best Career here, but that means nothing in the arena. Adrenaline runs high in there. The other tributes could easily overtake you."

I take a bite of a waffle and think about what Silver said. It's true that the tributes from the outer lying districts have made it far in years past, but the Careers have always been able to fight them off. I watched and studied the Games since I was five years old. I know everything there is to know about life in the arena and how the gamemakers run the Games.

I have nothing to fear.

"Can we just focus on the reaping please?" I ask. Silver has been my training partner since I began. She knows me inside and out. And I don't want to even think that there could be a chance that I won't win.

"Fine," Silver says, an edge in her voice. This surprises me. For all of these years, she has never lost her temper with me. Ever. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. "I just don't want to lose you. Remember how it felt to lose Theta?"

"Come on. You know I'll be the victor." I respond, ignoring her mention of my dead older sister. "There's no doubt about it." She simply nods her head and goes back to her breakfast. The uncomfortable silence is broken by the ring of the bell from the town square. It's the last call for the reaping. We have ten minutes to make it to the town square.

"There's a dress in the closet down here," Silver says, standing up from the table. I notice that she's in a long, deep red dress. Her wavy brown hair stands out nice against the red color. She looks wonderful. Me? I'm wearing my regular clothes, a white t-shirt, black jacket, cargo pants. Something not appropriate for the reaping.

So I put on the sea green dress I found in the closet with a grimace on my face. I hate wearing dresses. Luckily I only have to suffer through this once a year for the reaping. This year it's extra important for me to look my best for the cameras. The people of the Capitol will no doubt be paying attention to my outfit. Fashion is a big thing for them. It's about all they pay attention to.

I take one look back at the Academy before heading towards the town square. District 4 is empty. Everyone must already be at the square. I can't believe that this is actually happening. My time is finally here.

Silver and I gain everyone's attention as we enter the town square. I don't dare smile. I'm their tribute. I can't look like I'm having fun, even if I am. Fixing my lips into a tight line, I find my place with the other sixteen year old girls.

It takes forever for everyone to make their announcements and remind us of our victors. There have been six during the past twenty-four years. The only other district with that many victors is District 3.

"Now to announce the tribute that you have voted in!" our escort says. Her name is Persche. I think. "First, the girls." It takes her what feels like half an hour to pull out the single strip of paper from the bowl. I know it has my name on it and my heart is pounding with anticipation.

"Naida Farce!" Persche calls out. I still don't dare smile. I need to keep up the confidence that I have. Everyone here in District 4 is scared of me already. I can't let them think anything less.

"Hello, Naida," Persche says when I finally reach the stage. "Is there anything you wish to say before I draw the name of your district partner?"

"Yes I would." She graciously moves out of the way to let me step in front of the microphone. I take a chance to look out over the crowd before speaking. "I would like to thank all of you here for this opportunity. And know that I will be back here in less than a month's time, standing on this stage as your victor. Just remember that."

This is my chance to bring honor and glory to my district, to me. I will be the victor. I won't settle for anything less.

_Dorian_

I can't believe Naida. She's too confident for her own good. True, she is strong and a great fighter, but that can be a problem in the arena. Those tributes that feel like they're invincible end up dying early. She probably won't even make it to the top 12. Or maybe I'm just being optimistic.

"And now for the boys." Persche announces. I don't even pretend to be strong when she calls out my name. I'm doomed. There is no way that I am going to survive these Games. Especially since Naida is in the arena with me.

I'm being pushed toward the stage by pretty much everyone in sight. It's like they want to get rid of me. Like they want me to hurry up and die already. The thought doesn't make me feel any better.

By the time I reach the stage, my face hasn't changed. I'm still in a state of shock. I bet everyone wishes they had voted in someone else at this point. I even bet there's a twelve year old out there who has a better chance than I do.

Naida refuses to look at me when I reach the stage. Even when we shake hands she only meets my eyes for a short second. Great. She's giving me the cold shoulder, writing me off already.

How am I going to survive the time we have to spend together before the Games?


End file.
